SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX-The Second Dose

“Yes, it hurts but that’s how you know you are detoxifying”

Joe Goldberg, YOU S2

(or something along the lines of it, I don’t remember per se but you get it) and even though he said it while detoxifying from substantially more toxic habits, it still holds in a social media detox situation. The thought of getting rid of social media is sure to give rise to uneasiness, especially if you are an addict, which leads to indecisiveness. Last week, I did a little review of my social media detox and gave it a big thumbs up (if you have not read it yet, what are you even doing, go check it already!!). Today I’ll be carrying forward on the same note and fulfilling the promise I made- to dust certain myths and answer certain FAQs regarding the whole detox thing. So this post will be entirely dedicated to further strengthening your decision. I have taken your probable worries topic wise below:

1)BOREDOM– A lot of people think that quitting social media will create a void in their life (“ I sPeNd So MuCh TiMe On SoCiAl MeDiA… WhAt WiLl I dO wItHoUt It”). As a person who’s a month or so deep into social media detox my answer to this is- Not gonna lie, yes, it will create a void and you will feel uneasy initially but if you have your priorities right and are determined to set your life straight-you, my friend, will go through with it successfully.

2) FOMO– FOMO or Fear Of Missing Out is pretty common in a situation like this but one thing that you should remember is that we humans created the virtual world and we have lived for centuries without it and happily so, so trust me anything happening in a virtual world is nothing you can’t survive without in the actual world. Also, most (probably all) of the things happening in the virtual world bring you no substantial good or happiness so passing out on them often does more good than harm(read it again).  Honestly, a week or so down the no social media lane, you won’t even care. So, bear with it. Even if it gets hard, just stay put and don’t worry about stuff.

3) CONNECTIONS– Yes, maintaining relations and bonds does seem very hard (if not impossible) without social media but trust me, it is not. On the contrary, it will rekindle the warmth in your relations that was lost due to the emotionless chatting and tagging all day long. Call your loved ones or Skype them. Not only would it be way more intimate than random texts but also allow you to say things that you will probably skip on in a texted conversation, which are mostly your true feelings.

4) COMPLETE ABSENCE– This is a very prevalent and a rather stupid myth, I must say, so let me clear it once and for all. No, a social media detox doesn’t necessarily mean a complete social media absence. You can also quit a fraction of apps and retain some others. It depends on you! Remember, even a small reduction will give you benefits. So, if not completely try to do at least a small detox.

5)DETOX IS FOREVER– Some people tend to think that going on a social media detox means that now you just can’t get back on it ever or that if you get back it would mean that you didn’t fulfill your detox decision. Well, NEWS FLASH people! There is a thing called time barred social media detox which means that you get rid of social media but only for a fixed period of time. This period can be as short as one day and as long as eternity! So, you can detoxify on your own time conditions without feeling guilty for giving up midway!  (yayyy!) 

I hope that I have cleared most of the questions you had in mind by now so I will just end by saying that the thought of getting rid of social media is sure going to make you feel a bit uneasy and trust me it is pretty normal. But remember, that in your heart of hearts you do want to break free from its clutches and that is probably why you read this post and that to to the end. So, go ahead and give it a shot. You can always come back so there is seriously no harm. Also, you might encounter some completely new personal benefits when you try it which will either encourage you to stay away for good (or you might end up coming back which is good too because it is only after a series of on and offs that you’ll realize what you really want) (or so it happened with me).Just know that at the end of the day only experiencing and knowing both sides personally will give you your right answer. So I wish you the best of luck and hope this works out for you like it did for me.

Also, if this article helped you in any way, please do like and share.